Chapter 42

"Although I don't need to use it against you... I'm showing respect for the hit you landed on me."

A golden glow of mana ran through Maris's body.

"Adamantine Chain Strike!"

Maris's speed increased even further.

"Adamantine Chain Strike"... a skill that temporarily activates the body with mana to unleash a series of lightning-fast strikes. It's an attack skill that sword saints learn early on and is often considered the hallmark of their class. I knew Maris had it.

I deflected the first strike with my sword and dodged the second by moving my body to the side. The speed was terrifying, but the sword techniques weren't up to par. The movements were becoming monotonous.

In "Magic World," many sword saints relied heavily on "Adamantine Chain Strike" in player battles, hoping their opponents wouldn't be able to keep up. I was confident in my ability to handle "Adamantine Chain Strike."

I blocked the third strike with my shield and retreated to absorb the impact.

Good, I managed to withstand it on the first try... If I can maintain a significant distance when it activates, it shouldn't be too difficult to avoid "Adamantine Chain Strike."

"One more!"

From an unstable position after swinging his sword, Maris forcibly delivered an additional strike. A heavy impact ran through my shield.

"Ugh..."

"Adamantine Chain Strike" is a skill that unleashes a series of strikes in the instant the body is enhanced with mana. Therefore, the number of strikes depends on the skill user.

Maris managed to extend the attack to four strikes by delivering the final blow from an awkward position, but this left him off-balance.

Perhaps fearing an attack on his opening, Maris kicked off the ground to create distance from me. His movements were minimal, likely to avoid "Shadow Step."

"Hmm... Even if you stick to defense, I can't break through, can I? Still, it seems you're running out of resources. Shall we end this?"

"Maris, I wanted to see your skill at this stage. I wanted to avoid having to deal with a first-time 'Adamantine Chain Strike' in a situation where I had no room for error."

"...What are you talking about? Do you think I would back down from a bluff..."

I had three objectives in this battle. The first was to confirm Maris's "Adamantine Chain Strike." The second was to identify a decisive opening in Maris. The third was to adjust my HP while focusing on the other two.

More precisely, I needed to bring my HP below 40%. To do this, I recalled the abilities of Maris's weapon, the "Magic Blade Water Crow," from memory, calculated the damage based on his current level, and verified that the estimated damage matched the actual damage I received.

Now, I can finally allocate skill points to "Smoldering Fang."

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【Elma Edvahn】

Class: Heavy Knight

Lv: 41

HP: 38/100

MP: 41/41

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I needed to allocate 5 points to "Smoldering Fang."

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【Skill Tree】

[Remaining Skill Points: 1]

"Oath of Heavy Armor" [34/100]

"Basic Swordsmanship" [5/50]

"Smoldering Fang" [5/70]【+5】

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Lucia helped me through this... She encouraged me to stay calm in the battle. It must have been scary for her to speak up against the count. But that's why we were able to secure this victory.

【You have obtained the characteristic skill "Rampaging Dragon at the Brink" because "Smoldering Fang" is now [5/70].】

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"Rampaging Dragon at the Brink" 【Characteristic Skill】

When HP is 20% or less, attack power and speed increase by 100%.

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"Maris... We've won this battle."

"Rampaging Dragon at the Brink"... a skill that doubles attack power and speed when HP is near its limit. It's a powerful skill, but in "Magic World," the penalty for death is so severe that only those who enjoy one-shot reversals use it.

Even if you aim to activate it, one mistake can result in being killed before "Rampaging Dragon at the Brink" activates. Moreover, strong enemies often deal enough damage in one hit to make it difficult to activate. Additionally, since magic power doesn't increase, you have to fight in close combat with low HP, which is a significant drawback.

However, there is a skill that Heavy Knights have to overcome this weakness.

"Life Shield!"

I raised my sword and shouted. My life force materialized... enveloping my entire body in a wall of light.

"Life Shield...? In this situation? It's just a waste of MP. Have you given up!"

Aizas's voice echoed.

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"Life Shield" 【Normal Skill】

Activate by paying 20% of your maximum HP. It creates a shield with the same durability as the HP paid, covering your entire body.

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It's true that "Life Shield" should be used in the early stages of a battle for observation. Especially with Maris's attacks, there's almost no difference in the amount of HP lost whether I block with "Life Shield" or "Mad Demon's Shield." From Aizas's perspective, it probably looked like a waste of MP.

But of course, that's not the case.

With "Life Shield," I can safely activate the dangerous "Rampaging Dragon at the Brink." By using "Life Shield" when my HP is below 40%, I can not only activate "Rampaging Dragon at the Brink" reliably but also retain a powerful shield.

This is a vicious combo that fundamentally overturns the unstable activation and one-hit death risk of "Rampaging Dragon at the Brink" in exchange for massive stat boosts.

As I tensed my body, a red glow of mana began to leak out. This was proof that the activation condition for "Rampaging Dragon at the Brink" had been met thanks to "Life Shield."

"I'll end this in one go, Maris."

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(2021/5/24)